[Vascularized foveal zone: prevalence and structural characteristics]. / Vaskulyarizovannaya foveal'naya zona: rasprostranennost' i strukturnye kharakteristiki.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to assess the prevalence of the vascularized foveal zone, including macular-foveal capillaries (MFC) and congenital retinal macrovessels (CRM), and to analyze the structural characteristics of the macular area in patients with MFC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The first phase of the study evaluated the prevalence of MFC and CRM. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) was performed, and OCT-A images of the foveal avascular zone were analyzed. In the second phase, two groups were formed: the MFC group (12 eyes, 9 patients, mean age 43.8±10.7 years) and the control group (18 eyes, 17 patients, mean age 43.0±11.8 years). A comparative analysis was performed assessing central retinal thickness (CRT), thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), and foveal pit depth. RESULTS: MFCs were detected in 45 eyes from a total sample of 1031 eyes of 536 patients. The presence of CRM was recorded in three eyes of three patients. RNFL thickness was significantly higher in the MFC group in the inferior parafoveal sector (26.50 [26.00; 29.50] and 24.50 [21.75; 26.50] µm; p=0.022) and in the foveal zone (15.50 [14.00; 16.00] and 12.00 [11.00; 14.00] µm; p=0.017). Additionally, patients with MFC had a higher thickness of GCL and IPL in the fovea, inferior, nasal, and temporal parafoveal sectors. The depth of the foveal pit was significantly lower in the MFC group compared to the control group (83.0 [77.4; 101.6] and 128.0 [107.5; 147.05] µm; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MFC was 4.36% (calculated per number of eyes), while the prevalence of CRM - 0.29%. The macular area in patients with MFC had increased thickness of the inner retinal layers and decreased depth of the foveal pit, suggesting potential disruption in the natural process of ganglion cell migration and apoptosis during embryogenesis.

[Terminology of quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography metrics]. / Osobennosti terminologii kolichestvennykh pokazatelei opticheskoi kogerentnoi tomografii-angiografii.

This review is devoted to the English- and Russian-language terminology of quantitative metrics that are used in the evaluation of images obtained by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). The paper presents an analysis of the use of terms characterizing intraretinal blood flow (vascular density, perfusion density, skeletonized density, etc.), area and shape of the foveal avascular zone, and choriocapillaris blood flow. The factors causing the heterogeneity of OCT-A terminology are described, including the lack of a unified international nomenclature for OCT-A, features of their Russian translation, inconsistency of the parameters in optical coherence tomography systems of different manufacturers. The article also considers ways to standardize the terminology.

[Visual acuity assessment: historical overview and current trends]. / Otsenka ostroty zreniia: vzgliad v proshloe i sovremennye tendentsii.

The article reviews the evolution of visual acuity assessment and gives comparison of the visual acuity charts (Snellen vs. ETDRS) widely used in research and clinical practice.

Changes in Sympathetic Innervation of Rat Caudal Artery in Experimental Myocardial Infarction. Effect of Semax Peptide.

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system aggravates the course of myocardial infarction. Semax peptide moderated the degree of this activation and prevented the increase in the density of sympathetic endings in rat caudal artery in 28 days after ischemia or ischemia/reperfusion. The peptide reduced the density of α-adrenoreceptors in the caudal artery of rats with myocardial infarction. Semax produced no effect on ß-adrenoreceptors in both experimental models. The experiments on isolated segments of the caudal artery revealed reduced vascular responsiveness to electrical stimulation and norepinephrine infusion in rats treated with Semax after ischemia/reperfusion injury.